Month-old tiger cub dies at Bannerghatta

Twelve-year-old Roopa had littered three cubs. One of its cubs, a weakling, was accidentally trampled by the mother  while walking in the enclosure.

R Raju, executive director of BBP said the cub was always seen isolated and never mingled with the other two cubs. “It is the nature of the animal to ignore the weakling in its litter. And so the mother tigress has not taken care of this particular cub. The cub’s neck was found twisted inside the enclosure. Despite efforts, veterinarians could not save it, he added.

This was Roopa’s third litter, fortunately not inbred. Raju said that Roopa’s earlier litters had died after the mother had refused to take care of its cubs. In fact one of the incidents, mother had also eaten one of its own litters, he added.